Preview: Blues at Avalanche

November 27, 2013|Reuters

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Preview: Blues at Avalanche

Alex Steen looks to become the NHL's second 20-goal scorer when his St. Louis Blues visit the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Steen snapped a four-game drought with a pair of goals in Monday's 3-0 triumph over Minnesota, putting him within one of matching Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the league lead. The 29-year-old has reached the 20-goal plateau twice, netting a career-high 24 tallies in 2009-10.

Jaroslav Halak posted his second shutout of the season Monday as St. Louis extended its winning streak to four games. Colorado aims for its fourth straight victory following a three-game skid - its first losing streak of the campaign. The Avalanche have been idle since Saturday, when Jamie McGinn scored at 2:32 of overtime and Semyon Varlamov recorded his 12th career shutout in a 1-0 win over Los Angeles.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), Altitude2 (Colorado)

ABOUT THE BLUES (17-3-3): Ryan Reaves will be re-evaluated in six weeks after undergoing hand surgery on Monday. The rugged right wing injured his right hand during a fight with Dallas defenseman Brenden Dillon in Saturday's 6-1 victory. St. Louis improved to 11-1-2 for a league-best 24 home points with Monday's triumph over Minnesota.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (17-5-0): Matt Duchene is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game with an oblique strain. The 22-year-old center, who leads the team with 12 goals and 20 points, may return during Colorado's home-and-home series against Minnesota this weekend. "Today was his first day where he was pain-free," coach Patrick Roy said Tuesday. "If things progress, hopefully he could play against Minnesota."

OVERTIME

1. Varlamov will start Wednesday's game as well as Saturday's home meeting with the Wild, with Jean-Sebastien Giguere getting the call Friday in Minnesota.

2. D Carlo Colaiacovo, who played for the Blues from 2008-12, began his second stint with the club Monday after signing a one-year contract on Nov. 12.

3. The 1-0 win on Saturday was the second of the season for Colorado, which also posted a victory at Pittsburgh on Oct. 21 by the same score.